Fires of Hell: A Maximum Ride Almost Rewrite
by MillieKittan
Summary: Sequel: Of Inferior Design. Max and Fang have to travel the world to take down Itex before the By Half plan can come into play. With Ari and 'Charlie' lending a hand, can they succeed before its too late? FAX. Violence and Character death.
1. Beach Buddies

**I'm sure at least one of you is going 'yaaaaaaaaaay, loose parody means its going to be different!!'**

**If you were thinking of that, then you would be right. There will be action, romance, flyboys, explosions, blood, broken things, cookies, more explosions, confusion, happiness, angst and so many other things this list could go on forever. As familiar as a lot of those sound, it will have almost _no_ resemblance to the book except for the ultimate goal: To bring down the company and all its branches.**

** So sit back, grab the popcorn and have a read.**

**I hope you like it.**

**Note: THIS IS THE THIRD OF A SERIES. IF YOU JUST YOU JUST FOUND THIS, YOU MAY BE VERY CONFUSED. TRY READING 'FRACTURED' FIRST.**

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**Part 1**

He was just a baby, a tiny bundle of skin and blankets in his mother's arms as she and his father cooed over their newly born son. He had tiny little toes that his father played with, along with his little fingers and titchy little nose.

He was just a baby.

He was looking up at his parents with a bemused look on his face when the nurse took him from their arms, the sounds coming out of her mouth meaning nothing to him. His parents replies didn't mean a thing to his untrained ears, but they smiled down at him and played with his tiny fingers and toes for just a little longer.

He noticed when they left the room that the nurse no longer smiled. He was just a baby as he was taken to a tiny conference room at the back of the hospital and had the door shut softly behind him. More meaningless noise came out of the girl's mouth as she held out the tiny bundle to a man in a white coat behind a desk.

He was just a baby as this new man who replaced his father cooed over the little boy in his arms. He played with the boys fingers and toes as the boy's undeveloped mind struggled to understand what was going on. Then he was turned over in the man's hands and the blankets taken from his back.

He cried as the cold air hit his back. He was just a baby as the man ran a cool, gentle finger down the slits next to his spine to coax out the little chicken wings hiding there. The man smiled, but the baby did not see his satisfaction, turned towards the ground and his tears ignored as he was wrapped up and handed to yet another man.

He was too young to realise he was handed back to his father.

His crying lessened to little sobs as the man who should shield him from harm soothed his son for the last time, the garbled sounds coming out of his mouth not registering with the boy's young mind at all. He took one last look down at the baby before him, an emotion the baby had never seen before echoing all over his face, before the baby was handed back to the man in the white coat.

He was just a baby. Fang was just a baby when his life changed forever.

*~*~*~*

His eyes springing open, Fang took a deep, shaky breath and tried to settle his now slightly erratic breathing. He'd had that dream before, that exact same dream. He'd assumed it was just his mind trying to fill in a gap in his history before his Dad mentioned he was just taken from them in the hospital.

Now, more gaps were being filled in.

Since as long as he could remember, he could never hear the voices in that dream. Heck, he could hardly place any detail at all. He was aware he was in a hospital from the nurses and white walls, but the only other detail was that of the scientist he was handed to: Jeb.

Now though, his blood ran slightly cold. The faces of his 'parents' were no longer out of focus and messed up, they took the faces of the parent's he'd met, but so much younger and more youthful than the photo he still had in his pocket. On top of that was the tiny extra detail that was making his mouth dry up and his head run away with itself.

The man Jeb handed him to briefly was his father.

When he'd told them the story behind him being taken, John had claimed they'd had no idea he was taken away until he went to find a nurse a good amount of time later. If he'd seem Jeb and held him one last time, that had to be a lie. Right?

And that look on his face. Baby Fang couldn't place it, and semi-adult Fang was having a few troubles running it against expressions he recognised. He frowned slightly as he pulled his arm from under his head, pushing himself up into a slightly upright position and staring down at the sand.

Was it regret for giving him away?

Slipping back to sit on his calves, Fang roughed up his hair to dispel all of the loose sand caught in it before looking around him. The beach was bathed in a deep red orange as the sun found its way back over the horizon, a long shadow emanating from Max as she sat on the wall ahead of him, still on watch.

He glanced right and couldn't help but smile very slightly. Fang2 was curled up in a tight ball with an arm under his head, his unwrinkled baby face soft and serene as a small smile occasionally twitched up the corner of his mouth as he dreamed.

He looked kinda cute.

…_does that mean I just called myself cute?_ He shook his head at his own question as he pushed himself to his feet, taking a few seconds to wipe grains of sand from his dirty clothing. He decided was never letting Max let them sleep on a beach again as he shook the waist of his trousers, making half a tonne of the stuff pour out of his trouser legs.

The damn stuff got everywhere.

Max watched her right wing man stand up and brush himself down, a look on annoyance clouding his features as he shook a little more from his trouser legs. Normally she would have found it funny, but instead she was frowning slightly at him, watching him closely.

She knew him to well to even think about bothering to ask about his dream. She'd watched him squirming and creasing his brows as he slept, rolling onto his stomach with a whimper. His wing had then shot out and folded loosely against his back again, as it had done in the forest just after Sam's death.

_Sam. Jeez, even that wasn't that long ago…_

Pasting on a smile she inwardly cringed as Fang raised an eyebrow at her, sinking onto the wall she was seated on after a few seconds and following her gaze out over the sea. It was dyed a light pink by the sunrise, shining and glistening as the water rippled.

"You worried..?" Fang ventured after a few minutes of silence, trying not to shift uncomfortably next to her before shoving his hands in his elbows. It was the only reason he could think of for the obviously fake smile she'd had plastered on her face when he walked up to her this morning.

Max considered it for a second as she gazed out over the water. She was kind of worried Dr. Martinez didn't really expect her to come back again, that she and Ella would sell them out when she figured out the freaky bird kid knew where she lived and brought a large hunk of Fang muscle behind her.

_Did I really just think the word 'hunk'? _She mentally rolled her eyes at herself and gripped the wall a little, frowning as she looked out over the sea. The veterinarian had been so nice to her, and treated her like a real daughter.

Hopefully she wouldn't freak out.

She realised Fang was still waiting for an answer and took a deep breath, letting it all out in one go as she said 'Not really'. She glanced slightly sideways at Fang and saw a small smile turn up the corner of his mouth, which she mimicked just seconds afterwards.

As long as they stuck together, they'd be fine.


	2. Ideas and Reality Checks

**I dunno about you, but I hate writer's block. It's such a pain in the behind it's not funny. But yeah, this one is now being updated - for some reason this scene was a nightmare to write, and I ended up rewriting most of it about five times once I got my Fires of Hell Mojo back, lol. Anyway, here it is, I hope you like it and the delay hasnt put you off. Now I need to try and write an update for secrets and sacrifices. Yay lol.

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**Part 2**

Fang2 woke up to an empty beach. It wasn't really that surprising, since they didn't want him to know where this woman they were visiting lived, but he still felt lonely and forgotten. He sat with his legs overhanging the wall, swinging them slightly as he gazed out over the water.

He hated being alone. He'd spent his whole freakin' _life_ alone.

At least with these two, even if Fang had tried to wring his neck until Max pulled him off, he had company. People to talk to, maybe to laugh with as time went by. As long as he had people in his life, it could never be anything like his life back at the school.

He sighed and stopped swinging his legs, making a lame attempt at telling the time by the sun, as he'd seen Max do. He squinted and shielded his eyes from most of the glare, his tongue slightly between his lips as he thought about it.

His conclusion: It was somewhere between sunrise and midday.

Dropping his eyes to the sand, he wondered what was going to happen to him. Sure, Max's Voice had told her they needed to keep him with them to get anywhere, that's how she'd convinced Fang killing him would be a bad idea, but there were a few other factors neither of them were actually aware of yet, such as Ari.

To be entirely honest, Fang2 had no idea how Ari would react to the papers he was given. He hoped the kid would notice the important point made on them and make a run for it from the place. Even if he didn't meet him here, at least he would die naturally rather than killed.

On the other hand, he was Ari. He was angry and easily manipulated, easily convinced. That was evident by the eraserification the scientists convinced the little boy would make his dad notice him. It was quite possible he'd just gather a large number of Erasers and come and capture him.

Or at least try. Fang2 wasn't going down without a fight.

He raised a hand to his face and wiped his sleepy eyes, brushing his bangs away from them as he did so. The only other thing he had to do was hope Max and Fang actually came back. After all, Max did listen to her right wing man when it came to decisions, he might sway her mind while they were away.

_He better not_, Fang2 thought as he stared blankly down at the sand below him. _Or the world is doomed._

*~*~*~*

Glaring at the sodden sticks in his hand, Fang repressed the urge to throw them at a wall and instead dropped them on the pile of equally sodden sticks in front of him, leaning an elbow on his knee to slowly rub his eyes.

They'd flown for most of the day. By his calculations that meant they were getting close to where he and Nudge had lost Max last time, maybe half a day's flight if that away from their little cliff side camp right now.

Least it wasn't a long trip.

They would have flown a little further in the dimming light outside, but their plans had been thwarted by a downpour of rain. They'd managed to ignore it for a good twenty minutes until both of them were shivering like they were about to catch their deaths. Max had deemed that a bad idea, and that they'd take refuge in this Cliffside indent.

It was cosy. Slightly too cosy for Fang's liking, as in so freaking small they would have to put the fire out before they could sleep, unless they wanted their clothes caught on fire by the slightest movement. There was also no fear of the one on watch falling asleep, since there wasn't enough room for two stupidly tall teenagers to nap at the same time.

Unless Max was on his lap. Somehow, he doubted _that_ would happen.

His attempts to start a fire, however, were pointless. All the sticks he'd gathered while waiting for Max to emerge from the drizzle with food for his growling stomach were soaked through, just like himself. They wouldn't light unless you put them in the middle of a desert with a heater on them for a few days in a row.

Sighing, he shuffled back a whole six inches until his back was pressed to the wall and leant against it, eyes closed and arms folded over his still crossed legs. Next to him was the bag he'd retrieved from his carbon copy, the laptop now nestled comfortably inside it for the boring points of his watch that evening.

Fang let his mind wander back to the dream he'd had the night before, and so many times before that. He wondered if there was even any kind of truth behind it, or was just his hazy brain trying to make up something for an event that he shouldn't be able to remember in a million years.

The faces had been so clear. Could there be some truth in it?

He opened his eyes and gazed lazily out of the cave entrance, trying to pick out any kind of Max-like outline in the haze before him. Fang2 hadn't said there was just information about the Itex company on there, that was just the part they accessed because he knew the password.

He was banking on there being more information on there. Much more.

He didn't see Max bowl into the cave until the last second, giving him very little time to squish himself in the far corner so he didn't get run over. He was also very glad he hadn't managed to start a fire since, to actually get into the cave without falling off the ledge, she had to step right into the pile of sodden sticks. She did so with a resounding yet slightly squishy 'crack', having to stoop slightly to miss banging her head on the ceiling.

She held out a sodden plastic bag triumphantly, her usually fly away hair sticking to her head and neck under the weight of all the rainwater residing in it, a wide smile on her face. The corner of Fang's mouth curled into a smile as she slopped down beside him with a soft _squash_ and started fishing about in the bag.

"Kebab meat?" she asked as she pulled out a large, oblong Styrofoam box and held it slightly towards him. Her smile widened slightly as the object was whisked from her grasp and flopped on Fang's lap as he opened it, the smell of fresh cooked meat and thick fries instantly filling the small cave. He had to restrain himself from diving in head first.

It smelled _so_ good.

Max watched him take a few shredded pieces of meat and drop them in his mouth, a slight smile on his lips as he chewed, before diving into her own box and descending on the lamb in there like she hadn't been fed for a year.

Needless to say, both teen's boxes were empty in minutes. Max sat back with her eyes closed, letting a contented sigh escape her lips as she folded her arms in her lap and stretched her legs out. Beside her Fang was in a very similar position, his elbow barely an inch from her head as he used his hands as pillows against the rock hard cave wall.

But he wasn't nearly as relaxed as her.

He was still running his dream through his head. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got at his Father, and at Jeb, and the school. He couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to just leave everything behind, people included, and just escape from the world.

Was it something normal people thought about? Escaping to somewhere far away and leaving the crap in their lives behind? He figured sensible people probably had the thoughts a few times, even if their reasons were not as concrete as his own.

Max was made to 'save the world', whatever the heck that meant, but he still had no idea why Batchelder had bothered to make him as well. Was he just a fluke, a back up plan in case the real Max didn't make it through childhood? He wasn't born much after her after all, he could have easily been the fall back baby. Just something to be discarded like they had rest of the flock.

He hated that idea. It made him even angrier.

He didn't notice he was unconsciously clenching his fists in his lap and setting his jaw tight, but Max noticed. She'd been watching him carefully from when she noticed he first clenched his fist. He seemed to be getting more and more agitated by something every second, his jaw tight and his eyes slightly creased in annoyance at something Max couldn't pinpoint.

He opened them and blinked when he felt a cool hand on his own, meeting the worried eyes of the girl next to him. It was then Fang realised he'd been clenching his fists and consciously relaxed them and his face, trying to look serene and cool as a cucumber, his usual façade.

It was pointless. Max was already worried.

"What's wrong?" she asked softly, but her leadership undertone was very obvious to him. He refrained from frowning slightly. They'd been on level par for so long it hurt slightly she seemed to think she needed to use that frame of voice to get information out of him.

He shrugged and shifted his view to the downpour barely a few feet from them, staring out into the rain as Max kept her eyes on his cheek, trying desperately to read his actions. His face was soft and unemotive again, his hands palm down on his legs. She kept silent, finally following his gaze out of the cave to the teaming rain outside.

"What are we doing?" he asked flatly, finally breaking the silence. Max glanced back up at him, her features slightly creased in unvoiced question, but he didn't look back at her.

"What do you mean, what are we doing?" she queried, her voice a little harsher than she meant it to be as she pulled her legs as tight to her as the cramped space would allow and wrapped her arms around them. "We're going to see Dr. Martinez to ge-"

"Not what I mean," he interrupted her, not taking his eyes from hers. "What are we doing, Max?"

She stared at him for a few seconds like he was going insane, trying to register what he was getting at. If he didn't have such a blank expression on his face she might have accused him of having a joke with her. Then again, this was Fang. He could keep a straight face while you sawed his thumb off. That and his eyes were still deep and questioning, but Max couldn't pin down any reason for it.

"I don't understa-"

"_All_ of this." he emphasised, motioning to the whole cave as well as he could without hitting Max in the nose. "Just everything. Going to New York, going into Itex, letting that carbon copy join us, saving the world."

Max was silent, her face blank and slightly surprised. Fang wasn't one for long speeches or explanations, so his wordiness caught her off guard for a few seconds. After she recovered she rested her chin on her knees and frowned at him.

"It's all we have to go on, Fang." she stated in her leadership tone. Her frown deepened when his own features set in a slight scowl. "There's nothing else we ca-"

"Because we don't have brains?" he asked harshly. Max had to force herself not to flinch under the gaze he was giving her. "We're following a voice in you're _head, _Max. We don't just have to follow orders, Max. We can think, we can decide. Why do we even do what that damn voice says anyway?"

She blinked a couple of times at him, trying to pinpoint where his little outburst had come from. Just the other day he seemed to be set on the 'saving the world' idea, helping her out and sticking with her. Now, he wanted to change course and leave it all behind?

Where did that come from?

"Then what do you suggest we do?" she asked in a sharp tone. Fang didn't flinch or even blink, he just turned his head to gaze out the cave entrance, stretching his legs out so they came within inches of the cave entrance. It was still pouring down with rain, and Max found herself looking out with him without realising it.

"We could find somewhere secluded," he said in a low voice. She looked round at him, but was just met with his cheek. His focus was still on the rain outside. "A little island or some secluded place. We could just live Max, like normal people. Wouldn't that be nice?"

Looking around, Fang caught her gaze before she could look away again. His face was set and unreadable, just like always, but his eyes were swimming with so many unspoken emotions and thought Max almost felt like she'd drown in it. She looked back out of the cave entrance to avoid his gaze, slowly rubbing her sodden knees to warm them up.

She loved the idea, but it just didn't work.

Sighing, she shook her head very slowly and held her knees tight to her chest, leaning her chin on them and closing her eyes. Fang continued to stare at her cheek, waiting for her to say something, or more accurately waiting for her to agree with him.

"It would be," she said slowly, finally tilting her head to catch his eyes, now resting her cheek on her knees. "But we cant. We're not going to get any answers _or _any peace until we save the world Fang. Remember the chip in my arm? They'll just find us and rip us to shreds."

Though his face didn't stir, Fang hated the truth in her statement. He'd honestly forgotten about the chip in her arm over the last few days. So much other crud had happened it had slipped his mind. He looked away and gazed back out of the cave entrance, taking a few moments to stare blankly out into the rainy haze before sighing and pulling his knees up to his chest.

"Get some sleep. I've got first watch." he stated gently, pulling his laptop bag closer and unzipping the top. Max's mouth opened to argue, but one glance from his eyes shut her jaw pretty quickly. If anything she was good at reading his emotions without the need for facial expression, it was all in his eyes to her, and it was obvious he had something he wanted to do.

With a whispered goodnight Max turned over to face the cave wall and attempted to sleep while Fang flipped open the laptop and started thinking over what could have been used as passwords to any of the other data on the computer.

If it took him all night, he was going to get into the flock's files.


	3. Surprises

**Part 3**

Fang wasn't one to be noticeably irritable, but he pretty close to the end of his string right now.

He'd stayed up all night trying to crack any passwords on the confounded laptop, and all he got was the assurance that there was definitely more data he could access. Not that he got into anything useful. All he found was a little bit of text explaining the coffee restrictions the whitecoats in the school were under.

Just shows how loopy those white coats really are, when 'Fangalicious' is a password for coffee rations.

Now, not only was he annoyed at the computer for not letting him into any files, but he was tired and cranky, and visiting the people Max wanted to drop in on was one of the last things he wanted to do. But it was their purpose for flying out there, so there they were, under a tree in the back of this Dr. Martinez's garden, waiting for Max to build up the courage to go knock on the door.

Normally, he'd bide his time and keep looking around them, since threats these days seemed to come from each and every angle, but not right now. He wanted to collapse on the floor and close his eyes, and let his frustration out in a good, long sleep.

But no. He hand to stand here and stare at the back of Max's head.

Max, on the other hand, wasn't exactly a cool cucumber either. She was jittery and jumpy, high with energy she regained from a full nights sleep and fuelled on by the lack of food in her stomach. If she was holding a cup of tea, there'd be none left in the cup anymore. It would all be on the ground or pooling in the saucer.

The car was still there, which meant it was likely the doctor was still in there too. The problem was Max was nervous about approaching the woman when it hadn't even been that long since they'd last parted. Maybe she'd been a part of the school the whole time, and she was going to sell them out.

She'd been freakily ok with the wing thing, after all.

Taking a deep breath, she clenched and unclenched her fists by her sides, trying to pull up some courage. She was Maximum Ride, for crud's sake. She could take down erasers and whitecoats and fly at ridiculously fast speeds. There was no way they'd be able to bring her in.

_Yeah,_ he told herself as she finally exhaled and started closing the distance between her and the front door. _There's no way they can take me in._

Behind her, Fang was hanging back in the shadow of the tree, fading without realising it into its gloominess. He had no real desire to follow her, since he'd never met this doctor before, and it would be easier to get away if they had someone invisible, possibly literally, to lend a helping hand if things went pear shaped.

He squatted against the trunk and watched as Max hopped up the few steps to the front door and turned to look behind her, his keen sight allowing him to see the furrowed eyebrows when she noticed his disappearance. With a slight eye roll and a shuffle of her feet, Max raised her hand and knocked three times on the door.

She waited silently, occasionally scuffing her feet on the mat outside or swinging round slightly to look for Fang. He was getting good at hiding in the shadows, almost as good as the fake Fang if he could learn to control it. Turning back to the door, Max frowned. Still no answer.

Then she saw the doorbell. It took most of her restraint not to bang her head against the door.

Acting like it was nothing, Max carefully pressed the doorbell with one finger, lingering there until she was sure she could hear the chimes of the bell within the house. She slipped her hands into her pockets and took a few steps away from the door, once again off of the mat, when she heard movement inside.

Dr. Martinez didn't expect to see the bird kid she'd fixed up ever again, let alone so soon after she'd left them the first time. It was a lovely surprise to open the door to a slightly bedraggled but still smiling Max, and a smile soon crept onto her own face as she dried her hands on the cloth she was holding.

"Max!" She exclaimed loudly, opening her arms to wrap them around the skinny girl. Max fell into the hug, not really thinking about it as she squeezed the woman back. She was so much like how she'd imagined having a mum would be, she couldn't help herself. Even thoughts of what Fang might say didn't enter her mind as she took in the sweet smell of cooking on the woman's shirt and hair.

Her eyes popped open. _Was that cookies she could smell??!_

"Its so good to see you," Dr. Martinez said in a slightly more sane voice as she let go of the girl in front of her, keeping a hand on her forearm. "You look…" she paused briefly to choose the best word for the bedraggled girl in front of her. "…well. How have you been? Did you find your friends ok?"

A quick flash of the faces of her old flock floated behind Max's eyes, but she hid the sadness now attached to the faces and names. She nodded once and smiled enthusiastically, a smile Fang would instantly recognise was hiding something. "Yeah, I found him ok. He's outside somewhere."

"He?" the woman asked curiously, peeking around Max in the hope of seeing this other bird kid for herself. As far as the eye could see after the road was trees and bushes, and there certainly wasn't any other kids in her garden.

Max looked around too, hoping Fang would have come out of hiding by now, but there was still no sign of her dark counterpart anywhere. Hiding her slight annoyance, she kept the cheery grin on her face and raised a hand to motion him out of the shadows.

It was a few seconds before Fang actually emerged from the trees. Even in his sleep deprived state he was aware of his surroundings and was used to doing a scan before coming out of a hiding place. He shoved his hands in his pockets and tried to look remotely interested in meeting this woman, whereas inside his head he was only thinking about sleeping.

Even her driveway looked comfy as he traipsed up to the front door, and that was made of pebbles.

"This is Fang," Max stated when he got close enough to be in earshot. Dr. Martinez furrowed her eyebrows slightly and glanced at Max.

"Fang?" she queried, to which she got a head nod. Shaking off the strange name, she smiled and held out a hand for a hand shake as Fang neared the porch steps. He took them in one, long legged step, making him instantly a an inch or so taller than the doctor in front of him, before taking a hand out of his pocket to give her hand a single, firm shake.

"Ma'am," he greeted her as he quickly withdrew his hand, sliding back into his jeans before Dr. Martinez could even take her own hand back to her side. She blinked once at Max, then at the new, slightly dark looking boy in front of her, before shaking her head slightly and stepping away from the doorway, motioning for them to come inside.

"There's fresh cookies in the kitchen," she said unnecessarily as Max followed her nose through the door and round to where the delicious items were sat on the kitchen counter, cooling on a rack. The air still smelled like baking, the oven still boiling hot.

Dr. Martinez stepped into the kitchen just after Fang had silently followed Max there, his tired eyes scouting for exit points and dangers. He hated being in places he didn't know, especially when he was too tired to react to something as fast as usual.

It was like a cell. A delicious smelling cell.

He sank into the seat next to the one Max had taken barely a second to occupy, raising an eyebrow at her. She had half a cookie in her hand and was chewing slowly, a happy, contented smile pasted across her face with her eyes lightly closed.

"Looks like I'm going to need to make another batch for Ella," the doctor said with a smile, picking up a clean bowl and wooden spoon from the draining board. "There's probably not going to be many left after you two get done with them, is there?"

Max shook her head before putting the rest of her cookie in her mouth and chewing hungrily. It tasted _so_ good compared to the burger patties they'd saved from a dumpster this morning. Reaching forwards she grabbed two still warm cookies from the tray and held one out to Fang, the other resting in her free hand.

Tentatively, Fang took it from her and held it up to inspect it. The chocolate chips were still bubbling slightly from the heat of the oven, only a few of the tops of them setting back to solid. The cookie itself felt soft, and smelled ridiculously tantalising.

"It wont kill you," Max stated as she watched her right wing man scrutinise the little circle of deliciousness in his hand. She'd already finished her second and was reaching for a third when she realised he wasn't chowing down with her. She smiled slightly when he rolled his eyes, then he took a bite.

For an instant, he thought he'd died and gone to heaven.

Then he realised he was still in this strange woman's house, sat at her kitchen table, with the sweetest cookie he'd ever tasted slowly trying to melt in his hand. He blinked a couple of times before shoving the rest in his mouth and reaching for another.

"They're good, aren't they?" his companion asked with a small smirk on her face, which widened into a cheeky grin when he simply shrugged. The dismissal of his love of the little cookies was probably overridden by shoving a whole one in his mouth at once, but it tasted too good to eat slowly.

"I'm glad you like them," Dr. Martinez laughed as she poured a pile of butter and sugar into a bowl. "Though I'm pretty sure you didn't come back just to empty my cookie jar, Max. Is something wrong?"

Max nodded, swallowing her mouthful of cookie and reaching for another. "I was wondering if you'd found a way to get the chip out of my arm…you know, without me not being able to use it anymore…"

Fang frowned at her through a mouthful of cookie. She hadn't mentioned the possibility of loosing the use of her arm before.

Dr. Martinez stopped stirring the cookie mixture and glanced over to the table, her face a little solemn. "I did have a look, yes." she began as she wiped her flour covered hands on her even more floured apron, abandoning the new batch of cookies to head towards them. "There's one way we could do it, but there's still the risk of loosing the use of your arm…"

"Oh." Glancing at Max as he chewed slowly, Fang watched her expression fall into one of concentration. She was probably weighing up the pros and cons of possibly loosing the use of her arm, but there were probably no pros running through her mind as she looked back up at the veterinarian.

Without giving her time to say anything, Fang reached over and caught her wrist as she went for another cookie, turning her hand palm up as he pressed it to the table. He took his time sucking the remains of a chocolate chip off of his other hand, under a querying look from Max, before pushing up the sleeve of her shirt.

He expected to get a least a slight shock reaction out of the woman just seeing the mark, but as Dr. Martinez leant over to inspect the scar on Max's arm, who had been trying to wrench her arm free from Fang's grasp until the woman had asked her to sit still, he remembered she was a veterinarian. She'd probably seen a hell of a lot worse.

"I think you're more qualified to take the chip out than Max is," he stated simply, taking his hand away now he had no need to hold Max still. She glared at him as Dr. Martinez ran a finger down the scar, her eyebrows creased as she processed what the boy was telling her.

"You tried to take it our _yourself_?" she asked sternly, a steeliness in her voice Fang was familiar with. It sounded surprisingly like the edge Max got in her voice when her leadership tone took over. He saw Max squirm very slightly under the woman's gaze, not looking the woman in the eyes and keeping her mouth tightly shut.

"She took a shell to it," Fang informed the woman, ignoring the icy stare he was getting for spilling the beans. "At least if you try and take it out she's more likely to be _alive_ at the end of it."

The doctor examined the scar a little longer before shaking her head slowly, pulling herself back upright and gently rubbing the bridge of her nose. She didn't expect Max to try and take it out herself. But then again, if she had a tracker implanted in her arm she'd probably try everything to get it out as well.

"Can you get it out?" Max queried softly, almost afraid of the answer she might get. Fang flipped his vision from Max to Dr. Martinez, chewing slowly on a cookie as he watched the woman sigh and open her eyes .

"As I said, I know how, but there's still a risk." She responded in a clear, strong voice. "If I go ahead with it, you might loose your arm. But if you try and get it out yourself like that again you might die."

"Then do it."

Turning to face her right wing man, Max couldn't help her mouth being open very slightly. First she looked surprised, but soon it melted into annoyance.

"It's my arm," she stated defiantly, frowning deeper at him when his own features creased up slightly in annoyance. "Why should you get the final say on what happens to me?"

"Because if we want to save the wo-" Fang paused and glanced at Dr. Martinez briefly, before looking back at Max. "If we want to move without being followed, we need to get that chip out sooner or later. We cant go to a hospital, we cant go back to the school. We have no where else to turn to."

Max opened her mouth to speak, but she was cut short as Fang continued: "And you can't do it yourself. I almost lost you. I cant lose you, Max." He face had softened and his eyes were deep and pleading, even if only she could really see what they were saying. He couldn't lose her. If he did, he'd be on his own.

And he'd rather be dead as well.

In front of them, Dr. Martinez was watching the two teens in front of her with confusion written all over her face. It was damn obvious they were more than just good friends, and even though she hadn't seen them very likely this Fang boy had wings too, but why had he changed what he was saying? Why was it important no one knew where they were going?

"Do it." The voice snapped her out of her thought and back into the kitchen. This time it was Max, who'd risen out of her seat and was watching the veterinarian intently. "Please," she added a little softer, and Dr. Martinez smiled slightly at the brave girl in front of her.

"The surgery is closed this afternoon," Dr. Martinez informed them as she moved back to the half finished cookie dough and picked up the wooden spoon, looking down at the gooey mixture. "We can go in an hour or so and see what we can do."

*~*~*~*

Nervousness was not an emotion Max was used to, and yet it plagued her brain as she sat in Dr. Martinez's spare room, rubbing her arm unconsciously. She was waiting to be called down and bundled into the car, so they could go to the clinic.

The décor in the room itself was calming - the room was painted beige and had silky white curtains covering the windows, bowling slightly in the breeze coming through the open window. They didn't do a very good job of keeping the light out, but they looked pretty good.

Despite that, Max didn't feel very calm.

She was waiting to go into surgery where she could lose the use of her arm. If that wasn't a big enough deal, it could majorly effect how well the following plans panned out once they left the vet's house and started on their mission to save the world.

Taking a deep breath, Max let it all out in one big sigh and flopped her elbows into her lap, resting her head in her hands and rubbing her eyes slowly. She just had to hope this was the right decision.

Fang was sprawled out on the bed, a cushion behind his back propping him up against the wooden header. The laptop was balanced on his lap as he tapped the keyboard absently, his concentration only drifting for a minute to gaze at Max, who just sighed and seemed to have dipped into a slight depression.

Maybe she was changing her mind. Fang wasn't sure if that was a good thing.

On the one hand, they could be rid of the chip in her arm and able to move freely. Both of them were almost definite that was how the school always knew where they were. On the other hand, she could use the use of her arm entirely, and even with the new trump card they were in a lot of do-do if Max was disabled.

His attention turned back to the screen in front of him when it flickered black, the password box gone and covered by a screensaver. The word 'Batchelder' floated about and knocked into the sides of the screen, doing somersaults and flips all over the screen.

Fang frowned. Jeb had been anything but a stable father figure for them over the years, scientist to savour to backstabbing scientist. Now he seemed to be helping them again, even if he was making it difficult with passwords.

Who's side was he on already?

"All set, guys?" the veterinarian's voice interrupted his thought process, drawing his attention to the woman peaking around the door. "I called up and told them I'd be in to check on a patient this evening. We can leave as soon as you're ready."

The two teens shared a glance, Max's eyes seeming uncertain and scared. Fang gave her a small, reassuring half smile, like he always did when she needed the back up, and she smiled slightly back. They were going to be fine. As long as they stuck together.

Just as he shut the laptop down, a thought sprang into Fang's head. As Max headed out the door after Dr. Martinez, he flipped the screen up and pressed the power button, the super fast computer taking just second to load that same, taunting password screen. Deftly, Fang typed the surname of his apparent parents - Raynor - into the password box and clicked enter, curing a hand under his chin and staring hopefully at the computer screen as it whirred into life.

To his surprise and definite relief, a file popped up in the middle of the screen, followed by many more that quickly overshadowed it. When it had finished, the very first document was a small, photocopied piece of paper with some writing on the top too small to read. Fang quickly flicked to a little magnifying glass I the top of the screen and zoomed in until it was readable.

* * *

_DECLARATION OF RELEASE_

_The following rules and regulations apply from the date and time of signature, are not negotiable in any way and stay in force until the specimen in question has passed or died. Itex__(c) and all associated business and innovations cannot be held responsible for the use and eventual termination of the specimen or any of its derivatives._

_No contact will be allowed between the parents and the specimen, or parents and the scientists who are taking care of the specimen mentioned below. Any violations on either the parent's or scientist's part will be dealt with through law and through digression of the Itex(c) and its associates.._

_By signing these documents you withdraw your right to see or get updates about the specimen. You obtain no jurisdiction over how the specimen is handled or what experiments are carried out. These rights can only be restored through certification of the Director, but no paperwork for the specimen will be obtainable except for a birth certificate._

_Name of Specimen: __**Charlie Russell Raynor**_

_Specimen Number: __**AH002/1**_

_Specimen Type: __**Avian Hybrid**_

_Date of Birth: __**Not Determined  
**_

_Parent1: __**John Russell Raynor**_

_Parent2: __**Jebediah Batchelder**_

_Details: __**Offered to the company due to insufficient funds to keep the baby**_

_I hereby certify that all of the details above are correct and the correct papers have been filled out to ensure the parent(s) of this child know of its whereabouts._

_Signed: __**Jebediah Batchelder**_

_I certify that have read the papers and understand the consequences of giving away my child. I understand I will never see the specimen mentions and realise that I will not have contact with Itex(c) or any of its associates concerning the specimen. I herby release the authority of caring for the specimen unto the scientists I have met and been briefed by. I have no objections to any of the terms and conditions and willingly give the specimen to them._

_Signed Parent1: __**John Russell Raynor **__Signed Parent2: __**Jebediah Batchelder**_

_**

* * *

**_Fang stared the the screen for a few seconds, re reading the names and all of the details on the form. Here it was, in black and white and staring him in the face, the forms that were filled in that sealed his fate in the school. His Mum's name was absent, and fnag glared at the name in the place where her's should be. He'd have been angry at Jeb's name being on the papers, but at least his mum's name was basent. The thing that was bugging him was the fact his dad said he had nide what happened to him, and yet here was his name on the paperwork.

Funny that.


	4. The Valium Incident

**I'm sorry if these answers to your reviews seem a little rushed, but I'm writing this just before I leave for work, so I dont have much time. On top of that I'm also catching up with mum on MSN, so yeah, I'm stretched a little thin with those and getting some breakfast (blech x3) down my neck. Here goes:**

**Strawberry Shortcake: Yeah, Faxness will come in the next chapter. This is kind of silliness crossed with plot progression. You should like it anyway, if the title hasnt given away what part of the book I'm going over right now ;)**

**happyasusual: ah, that was the bestscene in the book. I hope i can rival it with my version lol.**

**Buni 1995: thanks, glad i made your day =3**

**Horses crying: Thats a lot of pleases oO Here's my new chapter, hope it satisfys you x3**

**Thanks for the reviews guys, glad some people are reading this one, and sorry for the delay x3 Didnt wanna rush this scene, but do it justice. Hopefully I have =3**

* * *

**Part 4**

Though he'd given up attempting to tell the time by the sun, Fang2 was easily alerted to the fact that it was getting late by the sun going down. Sighing, he finished the last burger patty he'd pilfered from some garbage can and wiped his hands on his jeans, wishing he had some money to spend rather than having to scavenge.

A couple more days, he'd be hanging about here, then he'd either be back at the Institute with a load of science boffins yelling at him and threatening termination or he, Max and the real Fang would have a new ally.

Fang2 folded his hands in his lap and watched the sun go down, burying his fingers between his knees to keep them warm. He had no idea how long it would take them to get to their destination, or how long they would take to get back, considering they'd refused to tell him where they were going. He didn't even know what direction he should be looking in for Pete's sake.

Hopefully it wouldn't be too soon.

A snap of a twig and Fang2's head had whirled round in a split second, his sharp eyes trailing over the landscape behind him. There weren't many places to hide along the seafront, even less that had branches to snap, leading his eyes to fall on a couple of trees gathered on the edge of the sand.

His mouth twitched into a slight smile at the poorly hidden eraser peeking out from behind the trunk. No way would those trees hide enough hulking wolf men to bring him down, which meant that it was very likely to just be Ari on his own.

-

Max swung her legs slowly, looking about the room around her. She was seated on a metal table waiting for Dr. Martinez to come back, all of her senses on high alert. Everything in this place reminded her of the school - the lab coats hung on doors, the smell of antiseptic and the white, clean walls.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, waiting for the sensory overload to die down. She wanted to do this. She was going to have to deal with her surroundings for just a little bit longer.

Glancing up, her eyes fell on the only distraction in the room. Fang. He was in a small, metal chair next to her table, his eyes cast down at his back pack between his feet and his fingers entwined together. Max frowned and tilted her head a little. He didn't seem scared at all, but instead deep in thought.

It was obvious to her that he had found something important on the laptop just before they left, especially since he insisted that he bring the computer along with them so he could look something up if he had a few minutes. Though she'd questioned him the whole way there, Fang wouldn't tell her anything.

Possibly, he didn't want to believe it himself.

Max looked up as a trolley clattered through the door, pushed by Dr. Martinez and covered with a few supplies she'd decided they might need. Even Fang was jolted out of his thoughts and raised his eyes, watching her push the trolley to the other side of the table.

A shudder went through his spine as his brain catalogued the small bottles of clear liquids and syringes in their neat, airtight new packaging. A similar shiver found its way along Max's spine as the veterinarian ripped the protective cover off of one and began to fill it with some solution from a small, scientifically labelled bottle.

Max shifted uncomfortably on the cold, hard table, unable to tear her eyes away from the fluid filled needle. She flinched unconsciously as Dr. Martinez checked it worked, spraying a tiny amount of the fluid out onto the trolley as she did so.

Suddenly, this felt like a huge mistake.

She muttered a curse under her breath and instinctively flinched away as the doctor reached out for her arm, sending a slight line of confusion across the older woman's forehead. She flicked her eyes to Fang, who's own were still concreted on the fluid filled needle, his muscles tensed, before she lowered the offending needle to a defensive position by her side.

"You have a phobia of needles?" she asked softly, noting although she spoke, Max's eyes didn't leave the needle while the young girl slowly nodded a yes. Her confusion quickly flicked to sympathy as she placed the needle on the table, reaching for a fresh one.

"I can give you a relaxant first, so you barely notice the anaesthetic," she stated softly as she peeled the protective wrapper off of the fresh needle. "It's still going to need a needle though, but the rest of the procedure will be like floating on clouds."

Max stole a glance at Fang, who raised a single eyebrow at her, his focus divided between her and the new needle as it was filled from a different vial. Max wasn't entirely sure floating on a cloud during an operation was really a good idea.

She looked back at the veterinarian uncertainly, her eyes constantly flickering between the new needle in the woman's hand and the soft, reassuring smile on the woman's face. This was the woman who had taken her in and fixed her wing up, who'd let her stay at her house for a while, who'd fed and clothed her.

She could trust her, right?

Cautiously, Max held out her arm, and the doctor took her forearm very gently as she leaned forwards to reach the upper arm. Without really thinking about it Max flinched away, eyes closed and muscles tense for the all too familiar pain that usually came with being injected. A slight flutter flitted through her stomach as Fang squeezed her hand.

And then it came.

It wasn't as bad as she remembered. In fact, it was a sharp pain followed by a weird, swishy kind of feeling as the liquid was pushed directly into her bloodstream. Barely seconds later Max's world was beginning to become swirly and fluffy, like it was all made of cotton candy, or a dream she would wake up from very soon.

She opened her eyes and smiled fondly at the familiar face before her. Fang. In her new world he was as gorgeous as ever, sparkles shining off of his concerned features as he watched her unusually happy grin widen. He squeezed her hand, and Max gasped in delight.

"Fang!" She exclaimed rather loudly, making the dark boy jump as she tailed off: "Fangy fangy fang…you've a funny name, Fang. Like me! I've got a boy's name, but I'm a girl, hehe…"

She let her vision roll up to the ceiling as her giggled dissipated, the large smile still plastered on her face. Fang took the chance to steal a glance at the doctor, raising an eyebrow at her. All he got back was a clueless expression before she went back to work.

Considering she was cutting into Max's arm, he quickly diverted his attention back to Max's face.

"I wonder how they get the ceilings to stay on the ceiling," Max wondered aloud as she examined the expanse above her. It seemed to sway and swirl in her mind as she watched it, completely detached from what was happening to her other arm. A squeeze to her conscious hand and her head swung back round to Fang again, her eyes as wide and happy as her smile. He almost did a double-take.

"There's my Fangy!" She stated just as loud as she had before, squeezing his hand as tight as she could. If he wasn't an Avian American a few fingers would have broken. "My gorgeous, perfect lump of Fangtas….Fangadouby…Fangaliciousness! You're lovely, you know that Fangy?"

He blinked a couple of times, pretty sure if the doctor wasn't up to her elbows in surgery she'd be giggling like a schoolgirl by now, taking a while to think of his reply. Finally, he simply squeezed her hand again, stating: "Uuh, sure…"

"But you are." She replied to him, sounding almost heartbroken he didn't believe her, the smile falling from her face and her eyes creasing up. "You're _my_ Fangalicious Fang, because you're my _boyfriend_. The best boyfriend in the whole wide world."

Though he was pretty sure his tan skin would hide it, Fang felt his cheeks burn a little. He caught Dr. Martinez looking at him briefly but chose to pretend he didn't notice, instead just nodding to Max. "And you're my girlfriend."

He'd never actually heard anyone try to make the noise, but he was pretty sure what came out of Max's mouth next was as close to a 'squee' that any teenage girl could make. She pulled his arm up to her chest and hugged it with her only free arm, eyes closed and humming softly to herself as she did so. Fang had to lean forwards in his chair so she didn't knock the doctor off balance as she worked.

"I love you Fangalicious," Max murmured into his arm as she nuzzled it against her cheek. Fang went the deepest shade of red his skin would allow as he glanced at the veterinarian. She seemed to have finished even stitching Max's arm back together and was watching them curiously as she put all the used materials in the messes tray.

"I love you too," he finally added as Max went about falling asleep holding his hand to her face. As he detangled himself from her sleeping form, her other arm laying seemingly uselessly on the bench beside her, he couldn't help but be thankful the flock weren't there with them.

Max would've _never_ lived that display down.


	5. Discoveries

**Tis one's a little shorter than my usual updates, but it feels like it should be cut off here. Please do R&R =3 love having reviews to reply to.**

**

* * *

Part 5**

Gently, Fang slowly lowered a sleeping Max onto the softest sofa in the waiting room. Being an veterinary surgery and not a hospital, the place lacked comfy beds for recuperation, so the plush waiting room would have to do.

"I don't know how long she'll be out," Dr. Martinez stated softly as Fang knelt beside Max and repositioned her head to a more comfortable angle, brushing a few hairs from her face. He then carefully lifted the arm wrapped in bandage and rested it on her chest, so she wouldn't squish it while sleeping.

He stood and looked back at the vet, noting the concern seeming to play in her eyes. Inwardly, he frowned. She was very concerned about a girl she barely knew.

"I gave her the same sedative to knock a human out for a few hours, but with your metabolisms…" she trailed off as Fang looked back around at the last member of his flock. Her face was anything but serene, her mouth at a funny angle and her seemingly slightly creased up against pain. It was nothing like a natural sleep, when she looked relaxed and at ease.

Fang shrugged. "An hour tops," he estimated as he caught the woman's eyes again, trying to tell if the concern on her face was played, or fake, but he couldn't find any kind of flaw in her expression. If it wasn't genuine, the vet was a very good actress.

He knelt down and unzipped his bag, teasing the laptop out of the tight fit it occupied. "I'll watch her, call you when she's awake." he stated without looking the woman in the eyes again, glancing about for another chair instead. There was another sofa opposite Max's on the other side of the room, twelve feet away at the most.

That would be close enough.

"Ok," Dr. Martinez answered as she watched him trudge over to the other sofa, laptop under one arm and bag in the other hand, and flop down on its cushy surface. "I'll phone my daughter and make sure she's still ok on her own."

As soon as she was gone, Fang flicked open the laptop. All the files he had accessed at home instantly popped back up on the screen, filling it with data and text. Carefully, he began to sift through them, noting what each was about before deciding whether to minimise it or close it down.

Every other file was some kind of data gathered by white coats or Jeb himself, about so many things: Their personalities, their traits, their abilities and endurance or just their performance in a certain task the were subjected to. There were blood test results and conclusions they'd drawn, with scrawling as to what they planned to do next.

It brought back memories Fang preferred to be buried. He closed them down one by one.

By the end the only files left open were the one his Father had signed so many years ago, and one other file that dictated the relationship the scientists had decided he had with the rest of the flock, which was kind of depressing in itself.

Having learned nothing new that was useful, Fang closed the last of the files down and stared at the password input screen, wondering what else he could look up that might be useful. He took a quick glance over at Max, who was still in exactly the same position, then back at the computer in front of him.

_Maybe…_

Clicking in the password box his fingers flew over the keyboard, writing the name he and Max were trying to forget for so long. If Jeb had been telling the truth about Ari being her brother, then…

He stared at the box for a few seconds after typing it, his finger hovering over the send button. His brain was arguing with itself if it was even worth sending, but what Jeb had said didn't make any sense unless this worked.

_Batchelder._

Before he could click submit, a light groan from the other side of the room pulled his attention out of his thoughts and back into the room. On the other sofa, Max had pulled herself into a more upright position, holding her head with her fee hand, the other arm still resting on her lap. Forgetting his mental dilemma, Fang put the laptop aside and crossed the short distance to her chair, kneeling next to her.

She didn't seem to notice him until he stroked her cheek, and even then she jumped a little before opening her eyes to see who it was. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and relaxed as much as her highly strung mind would allow, head bowed slightly as she tried to dispel the drug haziness currently filling her head.

"How do you feel?" Fang asked softly, but his words grated on her slight headache, and she responded by taking a long, deep breath. He creased his brow and pressed a cool hand to her head, then his own, but she didn't have a temperature.

Sitting back on his haunches, he studied her. She looked ok other than the bandage Dr. Martinez had wrapped around her upper arm, to protect the stitches while the wound healed. Though she hadnt tried to move her arm yet.

That was the part that had him worrying.

He sat forwards again, glancing up at Max. Her eyes were closed as she tried to massage away a headache, her eyes screwed a little against the pain. Sure she wouldn't see him do it, Fang gently lent his hand against the one resting on her stomach, and waited for a reaction.

A few seconds passed, and Fang began to feel a little anxious, but then the fingers beneath his twitched very slightly, and he smiled. Max opened her eyes and looked down at him, moving her fingers as much as her mind would allow while he massaged tem with his own, trying to help her get them back to normal.

She was fine. As long as she stuck with Fang, she always would be.

*~*~*~*

"I'd rather you rested for a few days," Dr. Martinez fussed a few hours later as Fang was slipping his laptop back into his bag. She'd done preliminary tests on Max's arm and guesstimated, due to her fast healing, that if there was no damage she'd have full use of her arm back in two weeks at the very most. She hadn't mentioned having to rest it for that happen, so both teens took it as a excuse to leave ASAP.

Pulling his bag onto his shoulder, Fang watched as the veterinarian retied and secured the sling she'd made for Max's arm, so there wasn't too much weight on the operated area. Max was fidgeting uncomfortably, every feather on her wings itching to feel the wind sweeping through them, the freedom of the sky.

"It's not like I'm going to use it while it heals," Max tried to comfort the veterinarian as she smoothed out the fabric of the sling, making sure it was good and tight. She turned and smiled at the uncertain looming woman, the smile that made Fang's heart flutter, before adding: "I promise."

The doctor smiled, but Fang rolled his eyes and turned towards the door. The likelihood of Max being able to keep that promise was very small, either through choice or by force of situation. Though now she didn't have the chip they would, hopefully, get a little more peace and quiet.

Once they reached the door, the veterinarian gave Max an awkward hug, trying to avoid her stitches, and a peck on the head. She turned to hug Fang, thought better of it and held out her and instead. He smiled very slightly and give it a single, firm shake.

"Thank you," he said before turning, watching Max spread her wings in the darkness. Dr. Martinez seemed to be enthralled as Max moved her shoulders powerfully, ignoring the pain in her arm as she did so and took off into the night sky, melding with the shadows. Fang spread his own wings and prepared to take off, but a and on his shoulder made him freeze.

Looking behind him, Dr. Martinez's face was creased with concern as she took her hand back from his shoulder. He frowned, and opened his mouth to ask something, but she interrupted him with: "You'll look after her, wont you?"

He studied the woman, looking insecure and worried about a child that wasn't even hers, and something clicked in Fang's head. She _knew _who she was, and what's more, she was a lot more integrated into this mess than both he and Max ad first thought. None of this played on his face as he smiled his half smile.

"Until the day I die," he replied before moving his own powerful shoulders to pull himself up into the air, out into the blackness to follow Max. Looks like he needed to loan Max the laptop while he had a talk with his father. He'd rather she read it than tell her himself.

They'd both found their parents, but Max didn't know it yet.


	6. Facing Facts

**Uh...its been a while hasnt it? ^^; I've had a lot going on in the last year or so, but I've also had writer's block in the times I have had to write At least, with this story...so here's a shrot update while I try and write the next bit, I hope its enough for you .-.**

**Part 6**

Having ridden the first night out in a large tree a few miles from the veterinary practice, the pair set off at dawn to cover the expanse of country between them and DC. It took them most of the day, and as the sun was setting they settled into a tree opposite his parent's house, glad to be off of their wings and able to rest.

While Fang unpacked his laptop on the branch above her, Max slowly moved the fingers over the arm that was operated on. The muscles in her upper arm ached like hell, but Dr. Martinez had told her she needed to keep trying to move them, to encourage them to work, so despite the pain she kept slowly wriggling her fingers.

They seemed to be working a little better already.

Above her, Fang wrote '_Batchelder' _back into the password box. He stared at the stars in the box for a second, the mouse hovering over the submit button. His curiosity got the better of him, and taking a deep breath he pressed it on the exhale.

He watched all the data files pop up, waiting until the constant stream stopped before beginning to read through the detail of each file, closing the ones that weren't relevant or might bring back bad memories of the School, until he got to the file he was looking for: The file that told him who Max's parents were.

She didn't have release papers like him, and he frowned at the screen as he read through the print.

_**Gamete Donation Form**_

_**Subject: **_**Experimental Avian Human Hybrid 00001**

_**Donor 1 (spermatozoa): **_**Batchelder, Dr Jebadiah**

_**Donor 2 (oocyte): **_**Martinez, Dr Valencia**

_**Surrogate: **_**Martinez, Dr Valencia**

_**I am aware that, due to the nature of the specimen and the circumstances of their donation, I will not have rights towards the baby born. If I am not involved with the company, I will not see the child or be given any information on his/ her development. I will have no jurisdiction over the experiments carried out on him/ her, and no details will be given to me if I enquire.**_

_**Donor 1 signature: **_**J. Batchelder**_**Donor 2 signature: **_**V. Martinez**

He sat back and ran a hand trough his hair, staring at the screen in front of him. He'd been a donated baby, given away behind his mother's back. He'd been wanted by one of his parents, at least. But Max's details suggested she was just an experiment, not a wanted child.

He closed his eyes and remembered Dr. Martinez's concern as he laid her on the sofa, and the look on her face when she had her hand on his shoulder. Even if she wasn't able to keep Max, she was well aware of who she was. It didn't really matter that Max seemed to be an experiment right from the start, because Dr. Martinez obviously cared for her whether she had wings or not.

He just hoped Max would see that when she read this.

A set of headlights lit up the street, and both teens watched the car slowly pull into is parent's driveway. A single person got out and locked the car, then let himself into the house, and Fang suddenly felt very jittery.

His father was finally home.

Closing the laptop lid, Fang slid it under his arm and began climbing down the tree, until he was level with Max's branch. She gave him her best, reassuring smile, but he could see the sadness in her eyes. Ignoring it, he held the laptop out to her, and she took it and placed it on her lap.

"There's some files open you might want to read," he said, and Max instantly went to open the lid. She paused with it just an inch open when Fang's hand landed on her's, looking up to catch is eyes with confusion playing in her own.

"You may not like what you read," he added quietly, taking his hand from hers again. She looked back down at the lid and her hand, slowly tapping her fingers against the lid. "Be prepared before you open it," he stated before jumping down from the tree, landing on the dirt below with a soft thud, looking in the direction of his family's home.

He wasn't sure he was ready for this, but his legs were already walking, heading for the door. Across the road and up the driveway, is finger was pressed to the doorbell before he could even think twice, but he knew he couldn't run away.

He needed to hear his dad's answer, for his own sanity.

**

* * *

**

From her branch, Max watched as the front door opened and Barbera smiled broadly and embraced her winged son. She smiled slightly as Fang delayed for a second before hugging her back, his arms barely around her before she pulled away and invited him inside. Then the door was closed, and Max was alone in the cold night, just the laptop for company.

She looked down at its shiny surface, her thumb still under the lid, ready to pull it wide open. She tapped her fingers on the top again, willing herself to just wrench it open and face what was on it, but something inside her was stopping her.

She was pretty sure it was fear.

Fang had said she might not like what she saw. Was she just a test tube baby from unknown donors, or maybe from some horrible people from the school were her maternal parents? A small shudder spread trough her system at just the thought. She played with the lip of the laptop a little more, then squeezed her eyes shut and pulled the lid open.

She just had to know.


	7. Reconciliation

**So, I'm not actually dead, just very busy. To be honest, I have things I SHOULD be doing rather than writing these things, but to be honest again, I;d rather write one of these. Sorry it took so long for an update. I love you all, and I hope you enjoy this little explanation.**

**Chapter 6**

Though he had only just got home, John Raynor was up in his study, his desk covered in papers he needed to read and organise for a meeting the following morning. He had a pen in his hand and was reading the top page of the pile, his tired mind trying to make sense of it, when there was a knock at the door.

John took off his glasses and rubbed his temples, hoping the action would wake him up a little. He had been at work since six in the morning and had only just got home, yet he had just a few hours before he needed to be sleeping to be awake for his job tomorrow.

He may have gotten a six figure salary, but he was definitely working hard for it.

The knock sounded again, and John pushed himself from the table and got to his feet. He felt like he needed a warm drink and a breath of fresh air to clear his brain, and decided that would be exactly what he would do when in a moment, once he gave whoever was at the door what they desired from him.

He though it was one of his kids, and in a sense, he was right.

Twisting the handle, John was rather surprised not to see his wife or any of his kids at the door. There stood Charlie, the forgotten son, with a cup of hot chocolate in each hand a the most serious expression John had seen in his whole life spread across his face.

Fang held out one of the mugs to his father, and John took it without breaking eye contact. Swirling the contents of his cup, Fang took a swig of the overly sweet hot chocolate and swallowed it's warmth. It trickled down his throat and warmed his bones, sending an involuntary shudder down his spine as John swirled and sipped from his own mug.

"We need to talk."

Despite never meeting with the kid in his childhood, John could see a lot of his won mannerisms in the boy who had just slipped so silently into his study he could have been a ghost. Closing the door with his free hand, he turned to find Charlie watching him carefully. The tall adolescent's eyes were cast down to look the couple of inches shorter than his own eye-line, catching his Father's as soon as he turned around, an intense stare John knew he gave to many an employee at work when he meant business.

He motioned to the office chair. "Please, uh…Fang, was it? Have a seat." He said it with ease, without a quaver in his voice, and Fang instantly felt a few of his muscles relax. With that little reassurance he broke eye contact to look around at the aforementioned chair, just away from the desk where John has left it only minutes ago, and happily fell into it. The upholstery was leather, but well padded, moulding around his shape as he let his light frame sank into the backrest.

In the second the eye contact has broken, John had allowed himself to breathe and think. It was blatantly obvious why his estranged son was here - he wanted answers - and John didn't blame him. Had he any other choice fourteen years ago Fang would never have fallen into Jeb Batchelder's hands. Money would have been very tight, but they would have gotten by, wouldn't they?

He shook his head at the thought and turned to his bookshelf, scouring the folders for the correct label. _If only it had been that simple…_

When Fang looked back up, placing his barely touched drink on the table, he was faced with his Father's back as he pulled a file from the many cramming an old oak bookcase on the other side of the room. Where it had originally been grey, the folder was dust covered and sunlight faded, leaving it a sickly grey colour even once the grime layer was brushed aside.

He read the label, and bile rose in his throat. **Batchelder, Jebadiah. **Though the label itself should not have roused any concern in the young boy, the name on it's own was enough to evoke a reaction. Fang's muscles instantly started tensing up again while his Father pulled up the stool from next to the bookcase, sat down and flipped the box-file open.

In all honestly, Fang had no known what to expect when he walked back into that house. He wasn't sure if he should be ready for an argument, or for a pleasant man-to-man, something he really wasn't looking forward to none the less. But here he was, with John as he rifled through at least fifty pages of documents and official letters, and being handed what his Father deemed as important ones.

The very first one he was handed was from right on top of the pile. It was dated about eight months before the birthdate Barbera had quoted, written in a hand Fang recognised without looking at the signature. It had been scrawled across their charts in the school so often it almost brought back painful memories.

**Mr and Miss J Raynor,**

**I hope this letter finds you in good health after your news from the doctor's surgery not a week ago. I understand that you are expecting a baby that you cannot afford to support, and the doctors have informed me you are considering abortions and terminations. If I may spare a moment of your time, I would like to suggest an alternative.**

**My name is Jeb Batchelder, and I work for a company that is both experienced and enterprising in the field of genetic experiments for the betterment of mankind. We are the labs that cure diseases and grow life forms that can aide us in our day to day lives, and I hope you will be able to help us.**

**We are currently in need of developing babies for a project to eradicate genetic diseases and safeguard the future of our race. If I may ask if you would be willing to donate your unwanted child to our research, we would be most grateful for the chance to continue our vital research in such fields that may well benefit you or future children from distress or the pain of loss.**

**My email address is attached. Please do get in touch, time is short.**

**J. Batchelder**

**Research Scientist, ITEX.**

John leant a little closer, with just a few other sheets of paper from the whole pile in his hand. "Before I got that letter, I'd never even heard of Itex," he said gently, watching Fang's eyes scour it a second and then a third time. "Apparently our doctor was contacted to call him if any couples discussed abortion with him, and forwarded our details."

He leant a little closer and took the paper from Fang's hands, laying it back down on top of the pile. The boy stared at his empty hands for a few seconds before looking up at his father, who was picking out the next document for him to read. Though he was anxious, given away by the slight shake of his hands as he separated the papers, he wasn't readily giving that away with his calm exterior.

"You didn't want me." It was a statement, and it paused John's hands as he glanced back up at his son. The boy's stoic features had barely moved, but his eyebrows had knotted very slightly at the thought of being unwanted. They kept eye contact for a few seconds, until John conceded, put the papers down in his lap and rubbed his temples with his fingers.

Finally, with a sigh as his foggy head cleared slightly, he looked back up. "We wanted you more than we could ever have guessed," he answered softly, resting his forearms on his legs and leaning forwards, not taking his eyes from Fang's. "But we were young. Too young. I was a couple of thousand in debt from just staring up my company and both our wages barely covered the bills. We wanted to keep you more than I wanted that company, but…it was too risky."

Unknotting his eyebrows, Fang softened his expression as his father continued. "We couldn't afford another mouth to feed, not while the business was trying to take off. Barbera…your mother was adamant that we could keep you, that she could keep working after you were born, but I knew that was just hopeful thinking. We couldn't afford you, but I didn't want to kill you…that's why I contacted Jeb."

He held out another piece of paper, and Fang took it swiftly, casting his eyes over the writing. It was the original of the form he had seen on the computer, with his Father's signature in the 'Parent 1' box and Jeb's signature in the 'Parent 2' box. His full name was handwritten in my his Father's hand.

Fang's hand shook a little. It was like a prison sentence on a piece of paper. He's signing over to the school.

"I never told your mother what we were planning," John added, confirming why there was no signature from the boy's mother. "She would rather have seen you aborted, probably. I am sorry for what they did to you, Char- Fang. What I did to you by signing that paper. If I had known they were going to treat you like that I'd have…"

"Killed me?" Fang added quietly, looking up from the certificate in his hand to catch his Father's eyes. The man couldn't hold his son's gaze and instantly dropped his eyes to the little envelope, the last item in his hands. He fingered it and rolled it over uncomfortably, and Fang's eyes soften. The man had only down what he thought was right.

With a little bit of thought and a lot of hope it was a normal thing to do, Fang leant forwards and placed a firm hand on his Father's shoulder. John looked up, almost surprised at his son, as the boy squeezed it and gave him a reassuring half-smile.

"I'm glad you didn't abort me, Dad."


	8. Planning Ahead

**Chapter 8**

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Fang2 asked as they sneaked around the side of the ITEX building. It was almost midnight. The facility was completely locked down, only the security lights that occasionally brushed over the grass providing any guidance as Ari led the way along the broadest wall of the facility.

The eraser sighed as he peeked around the corner of the building. This probably wasn't the best idea in the book, but he couldn't think of anything they could do while they waited for Max and the real Fang to get back from their expedition.

Wherever the hell they had gone, since even Fang2 didn't have a clue.

Observation showed that there were no spotlights that centred on the main doors itself, just two roaming ones that passed at five second intervals. Both he and the Fang copy could make the gap in those few seconds, but the scanners on the door might be a little slow. Turning to face the scrawny teen behind him, Ari met duplicate Fang's eyes with his own, his voice low and gruff.

"We need to shut down one of the lights," he stated as softly as his eraser throat would allow, pointing up to the top of the building. "They're electronic. You fly up there and turn a light off, I'll worry about getting the door open."

Fang2 nodded tensely, letting his wings out a little from his back with a gently wriggle of the shoulders. "If you've got a better plan, now would be the time to share it," Ari added, remembering the teenager's earlier question. He looked thoughtful for a second, then threw his wings out and took to the sky, soaring up the side of the building like he'd been doing it all his life.

A thin leak of jealousy leaked into Ari's blood as his partner gracefully rose into the sky before settling down on the roof of the building, but he shook it off and concentrated on watching the lights instead. Even though he had gone rogue a few days before, he repeatedly returned to the building and briefed the other erasers and Jeb on his fake search for both Fangs and, of course, Max, since she was still almost invaluable to the twisted scientists. It was because of this that he was sure his details would still be in the door scanners, granting them easy access to the almost deserted facility.

Within seconds one of the spotlights had been deactivated, giving them an easy fifteen second window to access the DNA scanners and open the doors. _Nice, bird boy_Ari thought, waited for the remaining light so sweep past, then ran.

Five seconds later and Ari had his deformed half paw, half hand pressed to the scanners. A light on the side of the scanner glowed amber, and green grid popped up on the blue screen his hand was pressed to. A thin line began to trace the underside of his hand, mapping the telltale fissures and lines on the deformed boy's paw.

It seemed to take forever. The spotlight had already reached the end of it's course and was roaming back at a seemingly incredible pace when Fang2 dropped back beside Ari in the dark. The eraser could feel sweat pooling in his fur. His mind was running over plans that could be used if he was caught with the bird kid he supposedly couldn't find when the light on the scanner went green and the main door opened with a reassuring click.

Having been on edge about the approaching light as well, what little combat skills Fang2 had picked up from Max instantly kicked in - as soon as the door clicked open he grabbed Ari by the shoulder and hauled the boy through the gap, swiftly closing it again with his foot just as the light swept past them once more.

Adrenaline pumping through their bodies and heart rates elevated, the two boys lay in the foyer for a few seconds to regain their bearings. Both had been aware of the consequences of being caught by the light, and now both were silently relieved that they had been spared the fates that ran through their heads just a few moments before.

With a quick glance and a shared, relieved smile, they pulled themselves to their feet.

There weren't as many cameras in the facility itself, since escaping in the first place was a feat in it's own right. There were cameras, Ari knew, in the experiment holds down in the basement, but as far as he was aware there were none in the actual corridors themselves - they weren't really necessary when the security guards had such a good sense of smell.

While he was considering this, Fang2 slipped passed him and began to lead the way. Ari had been essential to getting back into the building, since his own DNA pass had probably been aborted or turned into a red light by now, but it was Fang2 who knew where to go from here.

He closed his eyes and tried to recall the route he had taken so many times with Jeb. While he was being trained to be Fang, the scientist had always taken him through the halls to a separate room to practice all of the little character trait's the files dictated as 'Fang-like' behaviour. Though he hadn't found it odd at the time, Jeb always seemed to repeat the same landmarks to him as they made their way through the winding halls of Itex.

"_Turn left at Research Room 345_" _Jeb had said as they made their way from the Eraser's facilities towards their private learning room. "Then past three fire extinguishers before taking a right," he continued as Fang2 followed him diligently, just glad to be away from the erasers that teased him so often. _

They had come from a different direction to normal, both he and Ari deciding it might not be a good idea to stray to close to Eraser quarters, but it was pretty easy to find the room Fang2 had passed so many times before. It wasn't long before they had passed the three extinguishers and the hallway began to narrow out into small offices and conference rooms.

"_And there," Jeb would always say thoughtfully, pulling Fang2's attention from his own mind. "Is the explosives room…so here we are, just three more doors along."_

It surprised them both that the door was both unlocked and not protected by a DNA scanner. Ignoring this incredible lapse in security that Fang2 could only rationalise because of the low breakout rate, he and Ari wasted no time in rounding up as many explosive charges and detonators as possible into the rucksack Ari had liberated just that morning.

When Max and Fang got back, Itex was going out with a bang.


End file.
